Five Arrested In Triple Murder Inquiry

Police are linking the suspected murders of two men found at the side of a country road with that of a man found stabbed to death in a ditch last weekend.

The pair were discovered by a member of the public close to the Cambridgeshire village of Thorney on Wednesday morning.

They have been named as John Chapman, 56, and Lukasz Slaboszewski, 31, both from Peterborough.

The other two bodies were found by a member of the public at Thorney Dyke

The men were found four days after Kevin Lee, 48, was discovered with stab wounds in a ditch six miles away by the A16 at Newborough, north of Peterborough.

Mr Lee was last seen at 2pm on Good Friday and reported missing at 10.40pm after his Ford Mondeo was found burnt out near a farm in Yaxley, south of Peterborough, that night. His body was found on Saturday morning.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire police said the men found on Wednesday were in their 30s and 50s and that their deaths were being treated as murder.

Officers have arrested a 36-year-old man who has since been charged with perverting the course of justice, and a 47-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman are also in custody after being arrested in Hereford.

Meanwhile a 32-year-old man and a 23-year-old man who were arrested in connection with the murder of Mr Lee have now been released on bail.

In a statement to the public posted on YouTube, Detective Superintendent Jeff Hill said: "This inquiry is a priority for the force and we have a large team of detectives working on it.

"There will also be extra police officers out on patrol in the areas where the bodies were discovered. These events are naturally very concerning and local people are understandably shocked by what has happened.

The body of Mr Lee was found near Newborough, six miles from Thorney

"However, the deaths are being linked and treated as part of the same isolated incident over the Easter weekend.

"I would like to stress there is no on-going risk to the public."

A statement released by Mr Lee's family said: "We are devastated by Kevin's death. He was a wonderful husband, father, loving brother and son.

"His naturally infectious personality touched everyone who knew him. He will be hugely missed by all his friends and family. We are struggling to come to terms with our tragic loss and we ask that we are left alone to grieve in private."

Cambridgeshire police investigating Mr Lee's death have confirmed they are liaising with West Mercia detectives investigating the attempted murder of two people found with stab wounds in Hereford on Tuesday.

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Whaling Haul Hits 'Record Low' In Japan

The haul from Japan's whaling mission in the Southern Ocean was a record low this year, a minister has said, blaming what he called the "unforgivable sabotage" by activists.

The hunt netted 103 Antarctic minke whales - less than half last year's tally - and no fin whales.

It was the lowest total since "research whaling" began in 1987.

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi blamed the Sea Shepherd environmentalist group, which has tried to disrupt the hunt of the Japanese fleet for several years.

Mr Hayashi said Sea Shepherd had committed "unforgivable sabotage", including a collision with a whaling vessel as it was being refuelled.

"We will seek more support from other countries to conduct research whaling in a stable manner," the minister said.

Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson is now a fugitive

During the 48-day-long whaling expedition, campaigners disrupted the hunt four times and the Japanese ships spent 21 days avoiding their vessels, the Fisheries Agency said.

Japan's annual whale hunt has long drawn criticism from activists and foreign governments, and Australia has taken Tokyo to court to challenge the legal basis of the research.

Tokyo defends the practice, saying eating whale is part of the country's culinary tradition.

Captured whales, later sold as food, are studied as part of an attempt by Japan's whaling research institute to prove their populations can sustain commercial whaling.

Activists charge Tokyo with using the loophole to get around an international ban on hunting.

Sea Shepherd was founded by Paul Watson, a Canadian marine conservationist who is now an international fugitive.

A Japanese vessel spraying water cannons at the activists

The group is known for its campaigns against whale hunts and shark finning, a practice that involves catching sharks, slicing off their fins and throwing them back into the sea, sometimes barely alive.

It has doggedly pursued Japan's whaling fleet and makes no secret of the fact it employs highly confrontational tactics.

The two sides have clashed violently in exchanges that have seen stink bombs thrown at Japanese crew and water jets trained on protesters.

A year ago, three anti-whaling activists boarded the Japanese vessel Shonan Maru No 2 and were held there for several days before being transferred to an Australian customs ship.

In 2010, the ship and a Sea Shepherd speed boat collided and the speed boat sank.

One of Sea Shepherd's ships

The organisation's ships Steve Irwin, Bob Barker and Sam Simon returned from their campaign this year with an estimated $1m (£658,000) damage bill after run-ins with Japanese whalers.

Their fourth ship, the Brigitte Bardot, was at an undisclosed location with Watson, wanted by Interpol after skipping bail last July in Germany, thought to be on board.

Norway and Iceland are the only nations that hunt whales in open defiance of a 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling.

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Ed Balls Admits Speeding On Motorway

Labour shadow chancellor Ed Balls has admitted speeding - and that he was caught "bang to rights".

He said he was travelling 56mph in a 50mph zone on the M62 motorway in his West Yorkshire constituency when he triggered a trap.

The MP for Morley and Outwood was fined and chose to attend a speed awareness class this week rather than accept penalty points on his licence.

Joking that he had been going "too far, too fast" - a favourite attack line against the coalition Government's austerity measures - Mr Balls owned up to the offence while raising the issue of speed awareness on his blog.

"Like many local people, I was caught out by the never-ending roadworks on the M62. Pulling on to the motorway at Morley I realised too late that the speed restrictions were still in place," the Labour MP wrote.

"I was caught and bang to rights - doing 56 in a 50 mile restriction zone. Going too far, too fast, you might say.

"I paid my fine and chose to attend a speed awareness course. I currently have no points on my licence and would like to keep it that way. Which is why, this week, I ended up in the Holiday Inn with 39 others.

"The course was very professional and actually really worthwhile. What hit home were the statistics which link speed to car deaths. At 20mph, less than 10% of people will lose their lives if hit by a car. But the probability rises exponentially, going above 40% at 40mph.

"Our course instructors explained that casualty rates have fallen over the past decade, as drivers have become more aware and car design has improved. The worrying thing is that this trend has started to reverse in recent years."

Mr Balls insisted the experience had reinforced his determination to get more 20mph zones on busy roads in the area.

Last month, he told Sky News "the law is the law" when asked about the conviction of former Cabinet minister Chris Huhne, who was jailed for eight months after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice by asking his wife to take speeding points for him in 2003.

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Social Worker Lied About Deaths For Time Off

A social worker has been struck off after lying about the deaths of her father, mother, uncle, aunt, brother and ex-husband to get time off.

Rachael Miles took 66 days off work from Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council after making a series of false claims, including that her ex-husband had hung himself and that she needed to identify his body.

The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), which removed her from its register, said she had shown "very little insight or remorse into the effect her actions had on her employer".

It said her claims may also have had an impact on patients, "many of whom were vulnerable individuals".

In February 2010, less than two weeks after starting work for the council, Ms Miles told bosses her father had been in a car crash, later telling them he had died.

The following month she claimed her mother had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act, and later that year that she had died during surgery.

In 2011, Ms Miles claimed her brother had passed away, followed by her ex-husband. Months later, she told bosses her uncle and aunt had died seven days apart.

The council, which gave Ms Miles both compassionate and carers' leave, launched an investigation and decided to move her to another role but she resigned instead.

Ms Miles did not attend the HCPC hearing in London but said in a written statement: "As I have no recollection of the events mentioned, I have to rely on the witnesses' integrity and honesty in reporting these incidents."

In mitigation, Ms Miles was described as a capable social worker who had been suffering ill health at the time.

She offered to repay the council any money owed from periods of paid leave.

As well as striking Ms Miles off its register, the HCPC granted an interim suspension order, covering an appeal period.

A spokesman for Solihull council said it did not comment on individual staff matters but added: "If an allegation is made about the conduct of an employee, it is taken seriously and we thoroughly investigate the circumstances around the allegation."

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Volatile Ballet Star Sergei Polunin Quits

One of the ballet world's brightest but most volatile stars has vanished, again.

Sergei Polunin had been due to star in a dance piece based on Billy Hayes' Turkish prison memoir Midnight Express, opening next week at the London Coliseum.

But director Peter Schaufuss said the 23-year-old dancer did not show up for rehearsals on Wednesday.

Polunin's whereabouts could not immediately be determined.

Schaufuss said he was "hugely disappointed" the young star had left.

"Artists have good and bad days - that goes with the territory - but rehearsals were going well," he said.

The dance company said Polunin's mentor, Igor Zelensky, had also left the production.

Ukraine-born Polunin became the youngest-ever male principal dancer at the Royal Ballet when he was 19, but walked out of the company last year, saying he was giving up dance.

He later said he had quit because he could no longer handle the stress of a dance career.

Polunin, who moved to Britain aged 13, had spoken in a 2011 interview about the pressure he felt to succeed.

"I would have liked to behave badly, to play football. I loved sport," he told The Guardian.

"But all my family were working for me to succeed. ... There was no chance of me failing."

Polunin later returned to performing under Zelensky at Moscow's Stanislavsky Ballet and has made guest appearances with the Royal Ballet.

When his role in Midnight Express was announced late last year, Polunin said it was "exactly the kind of work I want to be making, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it".

The Peter Schaufuss ballet company said understudy Johan Christensen would take over the main role in Midnight Express, which opens on Tuesday.

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Man Dies Sleeping Rough In Cold For Documentary

A young documentary maker has been found dead while sleeping rough in freezing temperatures to highlight the plight of the homeless.

Lee Halpin, 27, had planned to spend a week living on the streets in his home city of Newcastle.

He began the project on Sunday but was apparently found dead three days later in a derelict building in the West End of the city.

How he died has not yet been confirmed but it is believed he may have died from hypothermia.

Speaking earlier on a YouTube video, he said the project was part of an application for an investigative journalism course to give an example of fearless reporting.

He said he had spoken to a homeless charity about the rise in the number of people on the streets and the possible repercussions of the bedroom tax.

"I'm about to go and spend a week being homeless in the West End of Newcastle.

"I will sleep rough for a week, scrounge for my food, access the services that other homeless individuals use," he said.

"I will interact with as many homeless people as possible and immerse myself in that lifestyle as deeply as I can."

He concluded the video by saying he hoped it showed his willingness to get to the heart of a story.

Mr Halpin's friend Daniel Lake told the Evening Chronicle: "No-one knows how he passed away, but we think it could have been hypothermia.

"He made the ultimate sacrifice trying to raise awareness about what was happening to other people."

A statement from Northumbria Police said: "Officers have arrested two men aged 26 and 30 on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of a controlled drug. They have been bailed pending further enquiries. A report is being prepared for the Coroner into the death of the man."

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North Korea Warns Foreign Embassies Of Risks

By Mark Stone, on the South Korea border

The Foreign Office says it has no intention of evacuating its embassy in Pyongyang after North Korea warned foreign diplomats they may not be safe if war breaks out.

The North Korean government asked foreign embassies whether they were considering evacuating staff, saying it cannot guarantee their safety in the event of conflict from April 10.

Tensions in the region are high after reports that North Korea has now moved two missiles to its eastern coast and loaded them on mobile launchers.

The Foreign Office says it "has no immediate plans to withdraw our embassy" in Pyongyang, adding it condemned the "provocation" by the North Korean government.

Earlier, a spokesperson said: "The DPRK (The Democratic People's Republic of Korea) has responsibilities under the Vienna convention to protect diplomatic missions, and we believe they have taken this step as part of their continuing rhetoric that the US poses a threat to them.

"We are considering next steps, including a change to our travel advice."

It was not immediately clear why the date of April 10 had been mentioned, but there has been speculation that Pyongyang might schedule a firing to coincide with the birthday of the country's late founder Kim Il-Sung in mid-April.

Russia intends to "clarify the situation" before making a decision on any possible evacuation, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

North Korea's young leader Kim Jong-Un has escalated his rhetoric

South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported earlier in the day that two North Korean intermediate-range missiles had been moved by train to the country's eastern coast.

The move fuels fears of an imminent firing.

"It has been confirmed that North Korea, early this week, transported two Musudan mid-range missiles by train to the east coast and loaded them on vehicles equipped with launch pads," the agency said, quoting what it said was a top government official.

The  mobile launchers had since been hidden in special underground facilities, according to the report.

Intelligence officials from the US, Japan and South Korea are monitoring the movement of the weapons.

US soldiers give a demonstration of their chemical equipment in South Korea

The Musudan missile is a mid-range weapon, meaning it is capable of reaching South Korea and Japan and perhaps also the US territory of Guam in the Pacific Ocean.

"The range is between 3,000 to 4,000km (1,864 to 2,485 miles). There are major US military forces in Guam and a fixed number of troops to deal with the Korean peninsula, so I think these facts can reduce the possible danger there," said Kim Min-seok, South Korea's Defence Ministry spokesman.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon said daily reports from Pyongyang were "really alarming and troubling" and urged North Korea to ease tensions.

"Nuclear threat is not a game, it is very serious," he said, adding that any misjudgement or miscalculation could have "very serious implications".

The South Korean military during an exercise near the border

Speaking to Sky News, a security adviser to the South Korean government said there is no doubt that North Korea's capability is concerning.

"The technological level of North Korean weapons has become much improved and better - especially their missile capability and their long-range artilleries," Kim Byungki said.

"It is more uncertain, it is less predictable, there are more ways for them to destabilise us and there are more ways for us to respond ... so it is more complex."

North Korea which, incensed at fresh UN sanctions and South Korea-US military drills, has issued a series of apocalyptic threats of nuclear war in recent weeks.

America says it is taking "all necessary precautions" to respond to the daily threats from the North Korean leadership.

President Barack Obama's spokesman, Jay Carney, said the barrage of rhetoric fitted a "regrettable but familiar" pattern of North Korean behaviour.

The Musudan, which is manoeuvrable on the back of a specially designed mobile launch pad, is untested and its accuracy is unknown. Most experts believe the North Koreans lack the technological ability to mount a nuclear warhead into its tip.

The US is preparing to move an advanced missile defence system to Guam

However, it can carry a significant load of conventional explosives which could cause considerable damage.

It is not clear whether military commanders in North Korea have been given orders to fire the weapon in anger or as a test.

Given the recent level of rhetoric delivered by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and the number of US and South Korean military assets that are now in the region, the missile would be shot down within minutes of any launch.

The concern is that this could then lead to an uncontrollable escalation in military action by both sides.

Life goes on: South Korean Army reserves do Gangnam style

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One Dead As School Bus Overturns In Illinois

A man has died and more than 36 people have been hurt after a school bus overturned in northern Illinois in a crash that may have occurred when the bus ran a red light.

The bus, which was taking 25 children to Newport Elementary School in Wadsworth, around 45 miles north of Chicago, is believed to have collided with two cars.

The bus "may have been late on a red light" when it struck the other vehicles, Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran said.

The driver of one of the cars was killed, although there were no fatalities among those on the bus.

Officials at two hospitals said the casualties they were treating were in a good to serious condition.

The accident happened around 8am about a mile from the school, which has some 400 students.

Television footage showed the coach on its side, with debris scattered in an adjacent farm field.

Fire department personnel were joined at the scene by a medical helicopter and several ambulances.

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HMV Rescue Saves 141 Stores And 2,500 Jobs

By Mark Kleinman, City Editor

HMV's future as a high street retailer has been salvaged in a £50m deal that secures 2,500 jobs on Britain's beleaguered high streets.

Hilco, a restructuring firm, confirmed on Friday morning that it had struck an agreement with Deloitte, the administrator to HMV, to rescue the retailer.

The deal, which was revealed exclusively by Sky News on Thursday night, will keep 141 shops open, including 25 which had already been earmarked for closure by Deloitte. All nine of the Fopp-branded shops are included in the transaction.

While that represents little more than half of HMV's UK stores that were open before it called in administrators in January, it represents a more optimistic outcome for the chain than many analysts had predicted.

Hilco acquired HMV's Canadian operations two years ago, since when the performance of the business has surpassed expectations.

Paul McGowan, Hilco chief executive, said the deal had the backing of key HMV suppliers and landlords.

He said: "We hope to replicate some of the success we have had in the Canadian market with the HMV Canada business which we acquired almost two years ago and which is now trading strongly.

"The structural differences in the markets and the higher level of competition in the UK will prove additional challenges for the UK business but we believe it has a successful future ahead of it."

Mr McGowan will become chairman of HMV, with two other Hilco executives taking key roles with the retailer.

HMV had been weighed down by a mountain of debt, allied to a combination of waning consumer confidence and intense pressure from supermarkets encroaching on its entertainment retailing turf, as well as the rapid rise of low-cost digital rivals.

Hilco said it would abandon a recently-introduced practice of selling tablets and other digital devices, using the space instead for an expanded music and visual entertainment range.

Ian Topping, one of the Hilco executives who will be involved in running HMV, said: "The reaction of the British public to the administration of HMV shows a strong desire for the business to continue to trade and we hope to play a constructive part in delivering that."

Hilco also confirmed that it would seek to re-establish a presence for HMV in Ireland.

Nick Edwards, joint administrator at Deloitte, said the deal "provides a solid financial footing on which the business can be taken forward".

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Children's Heart Unit Could Reopen Next Week

Children's heart surgery could resume at Leeds General Infirmary as early as next week.

Operations were suspended last week because of claims the children's cardiac unit had a death rate double the average.

But medical bodies and doctors have questioned the accuracy of the data, which they say was unverified and not fit to base the decision on.

Sir Bruce Keogh said the priority must be the safety of children

This weekend five health agencies will work together with a view to restarting surgery as soon as possible - on condition concerns about patient safety can be alleviated.

In a statement, Leeds NHS Trust said: "Following a meeting to review the decision to suspend surgery at Leeds, agreement was reached to work together to restart surgery on the site early next week subject to independent assurance of concerns raised.

"The meeting involved NHS England, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, the NHS Trust Development Authority, and the Care Quality Commission.

"Over the course of the weekend all agencies will work together to provide sufficient assurance to all interested parties that this service is safe and can therefore re-open next week.

After the closure a week ago, Sir Bruce Keogh, the medical director of NHS England, said: "The trust has taken a highly responsible precautionary step.

"It is absolutely right not to take any risks while these matters are being looked into. The priority must be the safety of children."

Following the decision to work towards early opening next week, Maggie Boyle, chief executive of the Trust, said: "I am extremely confident that this service is safe and effective and should recommence at the earliest opportunity.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he supported the decision to restart children's heart surgery at the infirmary, though he added it should be "safe and sustainable".

A Department of Health spokesperson said in a statement: "The key consideration must always be patient safety. We support NHS England and the Trust in their decision to suspend surgery last week on the basis that there were serious concerns that needed to be investigated.

"If the Trust and the regulators are content that these concerns can now be explained or addressed then we would support a joint decision to resume surgery."

Parents had criticised the timing of the unit's suspension, which came 24 hours after a High Court judge ruled that a decision to close it as part of a reorganisation of services was "legally flawed".

But they also expressed relief that the unit was to reopen.

Jon Arnold's daughter Zoe had life-saving surgery at the unit when she was three weeks old.

He said: "There's been massive support from the parents and families for the unit, and this decision confirms what we thought about the quality of care all along.

"My daughter had fantastic care at the unit.

"It was difficult to understand as a parent how they could have shut the ward so swiftly on the basis of unverified data. It left parents feeling very confused about what to believe and what was best for their child."

But Anne Keatley-Clarke, chief executive of the Children's Heart Federation, said it was right to suspend surgery until doubts about safety could be addressed.

"There are a lot of families that are very worried there about what is going to happen with their children," she said.

She added that people were frightened about raising concerns about hospitals in the area while their children were still receiving care as they feared repercussions from the Trust and on social media.

"Once the unit is reopened then a lot of the families will have a lot of questions that need to be answered about the manner in which it closed," she said.

"The main thing is that babies and families that need urgent treatment can now get it on the unit without having to be shipped across the country to any available bed space."

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South Korea Warns Military Action An 'Option'

South Korea's defence minister, Kim Kwan-jin, has said that military action is an "option" to protect its citizens in its stand off with North Korea.

The news comes as the United States has said it will "not accept" North Korea as a nuclear state, after Pyongyang raised tensions by refusing the South entry to a joint industrial complex.

The North says it will restart all nuclear facilities including its mothballed Yongbyon reactor, which is able to produce bomb-grade plutonium.

Standing firm: Kerry stated he will not accept N Korea as a nuclear state

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un insisted it was only seeking a deterrent and did not repeat recent threats to attack South Korea and the US.

But the North delayed the daily opening of its Kaesong industrial zone with South Korea on Wednesday morning, in a move that could represent a sharp escalation of tensions between the two countries.

The North had previously threatened to close the joint complex as part of a stand-off with Washington and Seoul.

"We are waiting for access from the North Korean authorities," a Unification Ministry official said.

More than an hour after the time the daily entry clearance is normally granted, the ministry said 861 South Korean workers were in the industrial complex while 179 workers awaited access.

The complex is a rare lucrative source of income for the impoverished North since it was established as a form of joint-Korean cooperation in 2002.

Sky News Asia Correspondent Mark Stone said the site was the only place where relations between the two countries existed.

"As with everything, it's hard to know whether this is more game playing or whether they plan to keep it closed for a while," he said.

Face off: South Korea's Kim Kwan-jin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un

"But a number of analysts who have studied the Korean problem for some time said last week that while the park remained open, the situation was not overly worrying. Now it appears to be shut."

Both Washington and Seoul stressed their countries' military readiness and said de-nuclearisation was the only way forward for North Korea.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said: "What Kim Jong-Un has been choosing to do is provocative, it is dangerous, reckless and the United States will not accept (North Korea) as a nuclear state."

America's deployment of advanced aircraft and warships to South Korea was a signal that "the United States will defend our allies and that we will not be subject to irrational or reckless provocation," he said.

North Koreans attend a rally against the US and South Korea

The parading of US air and naval power with nuclear capability within view of the Korean peninsula, is as much about psychological war as real war.

The US is keen to discourage North Korea's unpredictable leader from starting a fight that could get out of control.

Mr Kerry, who will visit South Korea next week, reminded the North Koreans that "they have an option, and that option is to enter into negotiations for de-nuclearisation ... and to begin to focus on the needs of their people".

Meanwhile, China has expressed "serious concern" over the escalating situation on the Korean peninsula.

South Korean trucks refused entry to the Kaesong complex

An official from China's Foreign Ministry met ambassadors from the US, North Korea and South Korea, following the closing of Kaesong.

China hopes the differences can be resolved through talks and diplomacy, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appealed for dialogue and negotiation to resolve the crisis.

South Korean soldiers after a military drill near the demilitarised zone

"Nuclear threats are not a game," he said. "Aggressive rhetoric and military posturing only result in counter-actions, and fuel fear and instability."

Meanwhile, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister, Igor Morgulov, has expressed concern that even a simple human error could cause the crisis to escalate.

The country shares a short border with North Korea south of Vladivostok. In the current crisis, Moscow has steered clear of openly criticising North Korea.

"Russia has to be worried as we are talking about an explosive situation in the immediate vicinity of our Far East borders," he said.

US and South Korea Navy ships in formation west of the Korean peninsula

"In the current tense atmosphere, it would only need an elementary human error or technical problem for the situation to go out of control and plunge into a critical dive.

"We urge all sides to refrain from any comments or actions which could further complicate the situation," said Morgulov.

A speech by the North's young leader, Kim Jong-Un, given on Sunday but published in full by the Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday, appeared to dampen any prospect of a direct confrontation with the US by emphasising that nuclear weapons would ensure the country's safety as a deterrent.

"Our nuclear strength is a reliable war deterrent and a guarantee to protect our sovereignty," Mr Kim said.

"It is on the basis of a strong nuclear strength that peace and prosperity can exist and so can the happiness of people's lives."

The crisis flared after Pyongyang was hit with US sanctions for conducting a third nuclear test in February, before America and South Korea staged military drills that North Korea viewed as "hostile".

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'Innocent' Man Freed After 42 Years In Jail

A man who was locked up for more than 40 years for starting a deadly fire at an Arizona hotel has walked free from prison after years of doubt about his conviction.

Louis Taylor was just 16 when he was arrested following the inferno which killed 29 people at the Pioneer Hotel in Tucson in December 1970.

"It's a tale of two tragedies: the Pioneer Hotel fire and my conviction," he told reporters gathered outside the prison.

Taylor, who turns 59 on Saturday, had faced a difficult choice in court in Tucson earlier in the day.

He could have continued his fight to fully clear his name or have entered a plea and got out of prison straightaway.

Louis Taylor chose not to press for a new trial. Pic: CBS News

He chose to plead "no contest", rather than wait another two to three years.

However, the deal negates his ability to sue the state for compensation.

That could have happened only if he had been exonerated at a new trial.

Taylor was sentenced to 28 consecutive life sentences but continually professed his innocence.

He contends he was wrongly convicted by an all-white jury, alleging police failed to investigate other suspects.

Fire engulfed the Pioneer Hotel in Tucson in December 1970. Pic: CBS News

Reports at the time indicated Taylor was actually helping people escape the blaze before being arrested later that night.

Even the presiding judge expressed scepticism about the conviction. 

Taylor's lawyers believe they would have prevailed eventually at a new trial, but the process could have taken a long time.

Prosecutors still believe he is guilty, but said they would not be able to pursue a new conviction due to a lack of evidence and living witnesses.

The hotel fire was one of the worst in Arizona history.

Many guests were trapped in their rooms as the blaze engulfed the building.

The fire truck ladders were too short to reach the upper floors.

Some people jumped to their deaths while others burned in their rooms.

Most victims died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

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Iain Banks Announces He Has 'Months' To Live

Best-selling author Iain Banks has announced he has cancer and only several months to live.

In a statement posted on his website, the 59-year-old Scottish novelist revealed he is in the final stages of gall-bladder cancer and is unlikely to live "beyond a year".

"I am officially Very Poorly," he says. "After a couple of surgical procedures, I am gradually recovering from jaundice caused by a blocked bile duct, but that - it turns out - is the least of my problems.

Banks is considered to be among the 50 greatest British writers since 1945

"I have cancer. It started in my gall bladder, has infected both lobes of my liver and probably also my pancreas and some lymph nodes.

"The bottom line, now, I'm afraid, is that as a late stage gall bladder cancer patient, I'm expected to live for 'several months' and it's extremely unlikely I'll live beyond a year.

"So it looks like my latest novel, The Quarry, will be my last."

Mr Banks writes mainstream fiction under the name Iain Banks, and science fiction as Iain M. Banks, which includes the initial of his adopted middle name Menzies.

Enthusiasts of his work took to Twitter to express their sadness and share memories of some of his best remembered novels.

In 2008, The Times said Mr Banks belonged in their list of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945.

Some of his best-known works include The Wasp Factory, published in 1984, and Complicity, published in 1993, which was later made into the film Retribution in 2000.

His statement announced he had withdrawn from all planned public engagements and that his publishers were doing all they could to bring the publication date of The Quarry forward.

He also announced his intention to marry.

"I've asked my partner Adele if she will do me the honour of becoming my widow (sorry - but we find ghoulish humour helps). By the time this goes out we'll be married and on a short honeymoon".

Mr Banks revealed he was weighing up the possibility of undergoing treatment in an attempt to prolong the time he has left to live.

"There is a possibility that it might be worth undergoing a course of chemotherapy to extend the amount of time available," he said.

"However, that is still something we're balancing the pros and cons of, and, anyway, it is out of the question until my jaundice has further and significantly, reduced."

A website is to be set up where friends, family and fans will be able to leave messages for the author.

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Car Towed With Driver's Missing Body Inside

The body of a missing North Carolina woman has been found inside her wrecked car, three days after a highway patrolman ordered it to be towed away.

Carolyn Watkins was reported missing by her family early on Monday after she failed to show up at work.

The Pontiac Sunfire was badly damaged in the crash

An accident report filed on Friday by Trooper Marlon Williams shows the 62-year-old's Pontiac was found in a deep ditch near Smithfield, 30 miles southwest of Raleigh.

Both air bags had been deployed.

The trooper wrote in his report: "Note: No driver at the scene of this collision."

A local towing company then took the vehicle to a car pound.

On Monday, a Smithfield police officer investigating the woman's disappearance found the body.

"They were looking for her pocketbook and the keys, and when they started searching, that's when they found the body in the car," her son, Algernon Parker, told WRAL-TV.

"They didn't do their job properly, and we want some answers."

Relatives believe she could still be alive today if the car had been thoroughly checked.

"If they would've got her out like they should have, medical attention could've taken care of what was wrong with her," said daughter-in-law, Patricia Parker.

State Trooper Marlon Williams found no body in the car

The trooper has been placed on paid administrative duty while the time and cause of her death are investigated.

"First and foremost, we offer our most sincere condolences to Carolyn Watkins' family," said a short statement from the Department of Public Safety, which oversees the Highway Patrol. 

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SSE Fined £10.5m By Ofgem Over Mis-Selling

Energy provider SSE has been fined £10.5m by industry watchdog Ofgem for repeated mis-selling to householders.

The regulator said the proposed penalty is the largest it has made against an energy firm.

It relates to failures at "every stage" of the sales process for telephone, in-store and doorstep activities.

Ofgem said: "The level of fine reflects the seriousness and duration of breaches, the likely substantial harm that they have caused and the likely gain to SSE."

Ofgem found that a failure of SSE's management arrangements meant that insufficient attention was paid to ensuring compliance with obligations.

The watchdog said this enabled misleading and unsubstantiated statements to be made by sales agents to potential customers about savings.

SSE is one of Britain's "big six" energy suppliers and has admitted its selling procedures were below an adequate level.

On its website, SSE said: "We've been busy making lots of practical changes to make it simpler, fairer and easier for you to deal with us.

"We're building a better way to do business, and we believe the changes we are making will improve the energy industry for good."

Many consumers struggled to understand firms' complex tariff structures

The watchdog said the company's various selling techniques had brought the company into disrepute.

"Ofgem found failings at all stages of SSE's sales processes, from the opening lines on the doorstep, in-store or over the phone through to the confirmation process which follows a sale," the regulator said.

"In particular, SSE consistently failed, over a prolonged period of time, to conduct its sales activities in a way that would provide clear and accurate information on prices and potential savings to enable customers to make an informed decision about whether to switch suppliers."

Although SSE terminated doorstep sales in July 2011, the failures in telephone and in-store sales persisted, Ofgem said.

"Today's fine sends a clear message to suppliers that Ofgem will hold to account those companies which fail to treat consumers fairly.

"It is time for the energy industry to take note and get behind Ofgem's reforms to rebuild trust and make the market simpler, clearer and fairer for consumers."

Ofgem does not have legal power to require companies to award consumer compensation.

It has argued for powers of redress and said it was encouraged that the Government has backed its call over new powers.

The regulator said the when the Energy Bill powers come into force they will further strengthen Ofgem's ability to take more targeted action against companies that are found in breach of their licence.

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First Charges In Savile Sex Investigation

A man is to be charged as part of the Jimmy Savile abuse scandal - the first charges under Operation Yewtree.

Driver David Smith will be charged with five sex offences including two of indecent assault on a boy under 14 in 1984 and two of gross indecency on a boy under 14 at the same time. 

The CPS says he was a driver for a number of organisations but he was not Jimmy Savile's driver.

The BBC has acknowledged he was employed by them on occasions and would transport guests for the Corporation.

Alison Saunders, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS London, said: "The CPS has carefully considered the evidence gathered as part of Operation Yewtree in relation to David Smith, who was employed as a driver at the time of the allegations.

"The CPS received a file of evidence on December 21 2012. Further enquiries were necessary and the result of those enquiries was received by the CPS on March 18.

"We have concluded, in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors, that there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction, and that it is in the public interest for David Smith to be charged with five offences."

Smith, who was arrested in December last year, will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on May 8.

Savile's record of abuse is thought to be unprecedented - with 28 alleged victims being boys and girls aged under 10. However, many of the TV star's accusers only came forward after his death.

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Duncan Smith: MP Complains Over £53 Challenge

A Conservative MP has complained to the BBC about a radio interview in which a market trader claimed he lived off just £53 a week and challenged Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith to do the same.

Backbencher Dominic Raab has written to the new director general, Lord Hall, who was on his first day in the job on the day of the interview, complaining it "lacked accuracy".

David Bennett, 51, told Radio 4's Today programme on Monday that he earned around £2,700 last year working between 50 and 70 hours a week.

He said his housing benefit had been cut even though his children stayed with him several days a week, and that his overall income was about £53 per week.

However, it has since emerged that Mr Bennett has an income that is nearly three times the £53 he quoted in his challenge to Mr Duncan Smith.

According to the Daily Telegraph the market trader receives £232 a month in housing benefit and £200 a month in working tax credit. His average weekly income, including market stall earnings, is in reality £156 a week, the paper reports.

Dominic Raab MP

Mr Raab told Sky News: "If (the BBC) are going to put someone up and ambush (IDS) they should check they have got their facts straight first."

He said the Mr Bennett had been used in a "cavalier" way and the point he was making about the Government's spare room subsidy had proved to be "demonstrably false".

Amongst other things, Mr Raab's letter questions how the market trader was selected for the interview and raises concern that Mr Bennett said he was chosen for the radio programme after he put a comment on the BBC's website saying: "Cameron can stick his Big Society where the sun doesn't shine".

It goes on to say the interview "could be perceived as attempting to exaggerate the effect of benefit changes".

The MP for Esher and Walton also said the subsequent media attention on the market trader the BBC "may well have failed in its duty of care towards Mr Bennett", the MP for Esher and Walton added.

A BBC spokesperson said: "We will respond to Mr Raab's letter shortly, when we have received it.

"His complaint refers to an interview used to illustrate how the changes to the welfare system might affect people. Mr Bennett outlined his circumstances but was also questioned robustly."

During the interview, Mr Duncan Smith, whose ministerial salary is equivalent to around £1,600 a week after tax, stressed he did not know Mr Bennett's individual circumstances.

But asked whether he could live on £53 a week, the former army officer, who married into a wealthy family, replied: "If I had to I would."

This sparked an online petition calling on the Cabinet minister to prove he really could live off what amounts to just £7.57 a day.

 The petition urging Mr Duncan Smith to live off £53 a week for a year has so far attracted signatures from over 375,000 people, the most that a petition on the Government's e-petition website has ever received.

Mr Raab said that the online petition was "totally irrelevant to the substance of the policy".

The Work and Pensions Secretary has, meanwhile, branded it a "complete stunt", telling his local newspaper that he has been unemployed twice so knew what it was like to live on the breadline.

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Derby Fire: Philpotts Face Jail Over Deaths

By Tom Parmenter, Crime Correspondent

Mick Philpott made obscene hand gestures from the dock as he was heckled by members of his wife Mairead's family followijng his defence team's plea for leniency.

The taunting came after lawyers argued he was a "very good father" who had been "unable to grieve".

His barrister, Mr Anthony Orchard QC, urged the judge pass the minimum sentence on Philpott, saying the father of 17 children by five different women would "have to live with the hatred and hostility of the press and the public for the rest of his life".

He added that Philpott "faces hostility from other prisoners on a daily basis".

Philpott's criminal record was laid bare at Nottingham Crown Court, who will tomorrow sentence him and his wife for the manslaughter of their six children.

Back (L-R) Duwayne and John, Front (L-R) Jack, Jessie, Jade and Jayden

The court heard the 56-year-old, who killed six children by setting fire to his home, stabbed a previous girlfriend 13 times, injuring her so badly she still has to take medication.

Mrs Justice Kate Thirlwall heard how Philpott attacked Kim Hill in 1978 leaving her severely injured with a broken arm and finger.

He had also been given a police caution for slapping his wife and dragging her from their home by her hair.

Mick Philpott tried to frame his former partner over the blaze

The defence teams of Philpott's wife Mairead and the couple's friend Paul Mosley also appealed for leniency as part of the mitigation process in the case.

Mairead Philpott wept in court as her barrister described her as a devoted mother who he said was "not a woman who has a heart of stone", but one whose "grief is overwhelming".

He described it as "utter folly" for her to stay in a relationship with Mick Philpott but said that it was her choice to love him.

Philpott and his partner Mairead, 32, started the blaze at their Derby home in the early hours of May 11, pouring petrol in the hallway of the property.

Together with Mosley, 46, who will also be sentenced tomorrow, they planned that Philpott should break in by the back door and rescue the children.

Paul Mosley helped the Philpotts with their deadly plan

But the plot went wrong and fire ripped through the three-bedroom council house in Victoria Road, Derby, with temperatures reaching 500C.

Jade Philpott, 10, and her brothers John, nine, Jack, aged eight, Jesse, six, Jayden, five, and 13-year-old Duwayne, all died.

The three had devised the plan to frame Lisa Willis, Philpott's former girlfriend.

Philpott was fighting a custody battle with Miss Willis, 29, who had lived with the couple and slept with Philpott on alternate nights while living at the house.

Both women were said to have lived happily with one another for a decade but Miss Willis left Philpott three months before the deadly fire taking her five children, four of whom were fathered by him.

Mairead Philpott does not have a 'heart of stone', says barrister

In mitigation at court today, Mr Orchard said that the fire had gone "disastrously wrong" because it spread too quickly.

However, the judge countered that even if the children had been saved by Philpott, as intended, the experience would still have been terrifying.

She said: "If the plan had been successful the effect on the children would have been this, would it not - they would have been awoken in their beds with their house on fire and their father coming in to rescue them."

The judge said that she was troubled by Philpott's attitude to women and pointed out that there had been violence in every one of his relationships.

She heard that Mairead had devoted her life to bringing up the children and that they were "happy children" despite their unusual living arrangements.

Her barrister, Sean Smith QC, told the court Mairead "is not a woman who has a heart of stone, her grief is overwhelming".

Temperatures inside the house reached 500C

He said Mairead had spent 12-and-a-half of her 32 years with Philpott and realised it was "utter folly" to stay with him but that she "would do whatever he said, whatever he wanted".

Mr Smith said that she "will be forever known as a child killer" and even when released from prison she would never be able to have children or be involved with children.

After the mitigation speeches for each defendant had finished there were obscene gestures made by relatives of Mairead Philpott towards Mick Philpott in the dock.

He responded by making hand gestures himself before being led away by a team of security guards ahead of sentencing at 3pm.

Jurors at Nottingham Crown Court returned guilty verdicts on manslaughter charges for the pair and co-defendant Mosley, 46, on Tuesday after an eight-week trial.

Upon their conviction, Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill, of Derbyshire Police, revealed how he suspected Philpott as he watched his reactions during a press conference.

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill's disbelief captured on camera

He said that officers had been surprised when Philpott wanted to speak to the media five days after fire.

Mr Cotterill said his misgivings were betrayed in a single photograph, taken as he sat alongside Mick, and his wife Mairead.

He said: "In one particular photograph, what I saw there was a guy who was sat there pretending to cry and I've described it as a bit of a sham of a performance and I didn't believe that he was genuinely overcome by grief.

"I thought he was playing to the cameras."

Philpott became known as Shameless Mick for a lifestyle, which saw him take charge of some £2,000 a month in benefits, and claim he needed a bigger council home in which to house his vast family.

His propensity for cashing in on the welfare state propelled him on to television screens in a documentary with Ann Widdecombe and on the Jeremy Kyle Show.

But the role he played in the devastating fire on May 11 that led to allegations he was "acting".

Brothers Jamie and Darren Butler, who live on the same road as the Philpotts, told Sky News how the Philpotts did nothing to help rescue their children and stood like "a couple of statues".

Jamie said: "You watch Coronation Street, EastEnders and Emmerdale all the time, and you can see people are acting, because they get paid to act. That's exactly what he was doing, he wasn't being paid for it, but he was acting. There was no emotion, he was motionless, there was nothing."

Even as Philpott went to see the bodies of the dead children at Derby Royal Hospital he attempted to keep up the act.

Mortuary manager Marie Smith described how Philpott had pretended to faint when he saw his children's bodies for the first time.

She said he also asked for alcohol and engaged in horseplay with a police liaison officer days after the tragedy while bemused staff looked on.

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Joss Stone: Two Guilty Of Plot To Kill Singer

Two men have been found guilty of plotting to rob and kill pop singer Joss Stone.

Kevin Liverpool, aged 35, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 10 years and eight months.

The sentencing of co-accused Junior Bradshaw, 32, was adjourned.

The pair, of St Stephen's Close, Longsight, in Manchester, harboured a deep hatred for the soul artist, the three-week trial at Exeter Crown Court heard.

They were convicted of conspiring to rob and kill the star last summer, they were then planning to dump her body in a river.

The pair set off from their home in Manchester with a samurai sword, knives, bags and gloves crammed in their Fiat Punto, bound for Miss Stone's address in mid-Devon.

Some of the weapons found and presented as evidence in the trial

However, their plan to rob and kill Miss Stone - whose birth name is Jocelyn Stoker - was fraught with problems.

They became lost around seven miles from Miss Stone's home and stopped to ask postman Alex Greening for directions to the property in Ashill, showing him a map with handwritten notes on it, as well as a picture of the 25-year-old celebrity.

The pair had earlier been stopped by police at the M5 Michaelwood services in Gloucestershire at 5am after their Punto crashed into metal railings and a digger.

Officers thought the car was too badly damaged to be driven and left - but the pair continued their journey south.

They were arrested on June 13, 2011, a few miles from Miss Stone's home when concerned local residents - spotting their crash-damaged car - called police.

The damaged Fiat Punto the pair used to drive down south from Manchester

The suspicious uniformed PCs discovered Bradshaw did not have a driving licence and arrested him.

They searched the Punto and found a stash of weapons, including a black-handled samurai sword, three knives, a section of garden hosepipe, two hammers, black gloves and balaclavas.

A further holdall contained a metal spike, black bags and black tape. There were also printouts of AA routefinder maps from Manchester to Devon.

Notes made by Liverpool - who was branded a fantasist by his own lawyer - found in the car and his flat in Manchester included references to robbing, killing and beheading the singer.

Rambling handwritten diaries were also discovered, in which he highlighted the need to buy a semi-automatic gun, a silencer, infra-red sights and a "ninja" sword.

Hammers were also discovered in the Punto by police officers

He called Miss Stone "princess" and other entries referred to "Jocelyn RIP - try to get info. Rob and kill". They also referred to her as a "She devil in flesh".

Giving evidence to the court, Miss Stone admitted there was lax security at her home, but said she only learned of the plot against her from police.

"I had an alarm but I did not really turn it on very much. I didn't really have a lock on my door ... But I do now."

Bradshaw and Liverpool denied charges of conspiracy to murder, the alternative charges of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm and conspiracy to rob.

Plastic black bags were also found in the vehicle

Defending Liverpool, Philip King QC, said the plot to kill Miss Stone was nothing more than a bungled "fantasy" that was never going to be carried out.

Bradshaw, who has spent time detained under the Mental Health Act in psychiatric units, said he had never heard of the singer until his arrest and that he believed he was on a day out with his friend.

In a statement after the verdicts, Miss Stone said: "I am relieved the trial is now over and that these men are no longer in a position to cause harm to anyone."

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Justin Bieber: Norway Exams Shifted For Concert

Schools in Norway have rescheduled exams to allow pupils to attend Justin Bieber concerts.

Five schools have changed dates for the mid-term exams amid fears pupils may skip the tests to attend gigs in Oslo.

The schools are located 230 miles northwest of the capital - in the Alesund region - meaning students would not have time to get to the concerts after the exams.

The Canadian pop star is scheduled to perform in the Norwegian capital on April 16 and 17.

Norway's Ministry of Education and Research said schools had the right to change dates for mid-term exams.

Bieber was recently involved in a bust-up with a photographer in London

Meanwhile, Bieber remained embroiled in a row over the confiscation of his pet monkey at Germany's Munich airport.

Mally, a 14-week-old capuchin monkey, was taken by customs after the 19-year-old singer failed to present the necessary documents for importing a live animal.

Animal rights activists have said that Bieber should be denied the right to fetch his monkey for the sake of the pet's welfare.

The pet was reportedly a birthday present from Bieber's record producer and accompanied him on a private jet during tours of Germany and Austria.

Authorities said the singer had four weeks to provide the required paperwork and claim his pet or else Mally would be kept permanently at an animal shelter.

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